Sitting too much may increase cancer risk, says study

A new study is suggesting that sitting down too much may increase one's chances of developing an array of deadly diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

According to research from the Stockholm-based Karolinska Institute and the Swedish School of Sport and Health, the continued slow blood pulse that results from sitting for too long can create serious risks that lead to a host of medical issues.

"One study compared two groups of sedentary office workers, one of whom had regular breaks to move around while the other remained sitting for up to eight hours a day," Dr. Elin Ekblom-Bak,a researcher at Karolinska and the leader of the study, told the UK-based The Register. "The group that had the breaks had better blood lipid levels and blood glucose and less obesity."

In order to prevent increasing one's risk of contracting health problems, Ekblom-Bak recommended getting up every 45 minutes for a five minute break and walking around the office to deliver messages instead of shooting out an email.

For those who make their living at jobs in which their days are spent in a mostly sedentary state that requires little movement or need to be active, there may lie an increased risk of eventually developing a potentially life threatening illness.

With that in mind, workers should make sure to have both health and life insurance coverage that allows them to receive care for any possible condition that develops.